Clamp Rack

You’ve heard it before. “You can never have too many clamps.” Maybe not, but it sure can feel that way unless they are under control and organized. If your clamps aren’t organized you feel like this…

Even with my modest collection, there were times when it seemed that I had won the clamp lottery.

Since everyone’s shop needs are different, let me outline mine as they pertain to this clamp rack. Many folks build wall systems to hold their clamps. I like this approach. In fact, the shop I apprenticed at in high school had clamps all over the place. The luthier there had stored cam clamps at each work bench. It really worked well, but I didn’t see a good way to incorporate such a system in my shop. I opted for a mobile storage unit that I could keep out of the way until I needed it’s bounty. As you can see, this is a pretty simple design. Does this remind anyone of a ladder? I used 2×4’s, 2×2’s, spare plywood, and casters for the construction. I like to buy kiln dried lumber since it’s much less likely to warp. The small increase in price is well worth the assurance.

I started by making the base. I knew I only had so much floor space, so the rack’s footprint was the driving design factor. The base measures 32″ x 25″ and the 2×4 railing is as much for storage retention as anything else.Next, I determined the angle of the racks. I decided on 95° and cut the top and bottom accordingly. Make sure to cut one end inversely of the other. Once all four of the vertical pieces were cut, I measured the spacing for the rungs.

I used my clamps to decide what the spacing would be, this may be different for your needs. From the bottom of each side my measurements were 9.5, 17.5, 24.5, 30.5, 44.5, and 59. These measurements are on center. This means you will cut away equal amounts on each side of the mark when cutting the notches for your rungs.

After all of the notches are cut, you are ready to assemble each side. I put all of the rungs in place and measured diagonally from end to end before driving any screws in. This produced two assemblies that are square. Once each half is done, you’re ready to screw them to the base. At this step, it helps to have a helper. Be sure that the ends of the ladder are fully seated against the base. I used 2.5″ screws through the base railing to tie the racks in place.You’re almost done! The last part of assembly is to cut a top shelf to the appropriate size. If you have copied my dimensions, your shelf should be 29″ x 9.5″. Now just attach the shelf, put on some casters, and you’re ready to add clamps!

Be sure to send photos and let me know how it turns out if you make one! As always, feel free to send questions if you get stumped. Thanks for reading!